Mechanical stoker for firing locomotive-furnaces.



N. E. GEE. MECHANICAL STQKER FOR FIRING LOGOMOTIVE FURNACES.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 26, 1913.

Patented July 14, 191i 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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W Y A.

N. E. GEE. MECHANICAL STOKER FOR FIRING LOGOMOTIVE PURNAGES.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.26, 1913.

Patented July 14, 1914.

4 SHEETSSHBET 2.

wi bneooeo N. E. GEE.

MECHANICAL STOKER FOR FIRING LOGOMOTIVE FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1913.

Mk/r44 0 I I N. E. GEE.

MECHANICAL STOKER FOR FIRING- LOOOMOTIVE FURNAGES.

APPLICATION FILED FBB.26, 1913.

Patented July 14, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

w'weooao w May ED STATES PATENT orrieii.

NORMAN E. GEE, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MECHANICAL STOKER FOR FIRINGLOCOMOTIVE-FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14., 1914.

Application filed February 26, 1913. Serial No. 750,927.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NORMAN E. GEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Stokers for Firing Locomotive-Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to thesubject of mechanical stokers for firing locomotive furnaces, and has particularly in view a practical embodiment of the selective idea of feeding fuel to different port-ions of the the box, as covered by my former Patent No.

847,174, dated March 12, 1907, in combina-- tion with a fuel handling and discharging system of the character disclosed in my box in such measured movements as to provide' a constant regulated supply without over-feeding, and at the same time being maintained by the main conveyer or conveycis in .a substantially divided or separated condition, so-that packing or clogging is avoided,'and increments or charges of fuel are delivered into the receiving or stoking chamber, from whence the increments or charges of over the fire, by intermittently-acting steam discharging jets, all of which instrumentali-. ties are synchronized so as to properly opcrate in time, and are operated by the same pri me operating means. 1

It is proposed by the present invention to secure reliability and accuracy in the discharging 'of the increments of fuel into the fire box through the medium of a novel and. effective form of steam controlling device,

.which not only providesfor automatically into the fire box,

intercepting or interrupting the steam flow so as to secure the piston effect or piston impulse as it acts 'upon the fuel to discharge it butwhich also includes a variable cut-off device cooperating with the fuel are expelled into the fire box,

fueldeflecting means so as to constitute a selective device controllable by a single lever or handle. In this aspect, the invention provides a simple and reliable means for selectively controlling the position in whichthe fuel is to be fed into the fire according to the requirements thereof, thus carrying forward in a simplified and thoroughly practical manner the invention of my patent aforesaid, No. 847,174, wherein the selective feeding of the fuel is accomplished by manipulating a single manually operated device adapted to control the action of the device which provides for operating the stoker for feeding the fuel to various parts of the fire box.

lVith these and other objects in View which will more readily appear to those familiar with this particular art, the present invention consists in the novel combination, arrangement, and construction of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

Though susceptible of structural modification and of embodiment in different forms of construction, a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated .in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a mechanical stoking mechanism showing, in operat ve relation, those features which form the subject matter of the present application. Fig. 2 is a skeleton longitudinal sectional view illustrating the fuel handling system which is preferably associated with the improvements comprising the present invention. F ig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the elevating trough, section, the elevating conveyer' therein, and the devices immediately associated therewith. Fig. 4 and 5 are simi- 'lar diagrammatic views, partly in plan,

partly-in elevation, and partly in section, illustratin the combination of instrumentalities which provide for selectively feeding the fuel into the fire box, and the automatic interception'of the steam supply to give the latter its piston effect in discharging the fuel from the stoking chamber; one of these views'illustrating'the parts in position for straight-away feeding into the central portion of the fire box, and the other of said views showing the parts adjusted for' discharging the fuel toward one end and corner of the the box. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 4:, illustrating the variable cut-off valve constituting one vpart of the steam controlling device. Fig. 7

is an end view of the complete steam controlling device illustrating the location of the steam supply pipe therefor and the communication between the same, and the vertical steam passage that leads from the steam supply chamber to the steam outlet chamber of the cut-off valve. tional View illustrating the yoke device which is employed as a part of the mechanical means for moving the intercepting valve in the direction for opening.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the present invention, it is proposed to utilize substantially the same general character of fuel handling system as disclosed in my application aforesaid, said system including in its organization the fuel magazine 1 located in the tender, and fuel feeding and conveying mechanism arranged below the tender and deck plate of the locomotive, and extending upwardly through the latter to a point where the fuel is delivered into a position for being discharged from the front side of the fire box into the latter and over the fire. This fuel feeding and conveying mechanism includes a main conveyer trough 2 arranged beneath the fuel magazine and having its rear or receiving end adapted to receive a constant supply of fuel from the combined fuel feeding and crushing device, designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 3. The said fuel feeding and crushing device 3 is arranged to operate below the gravity discharge passage 4 in the bottom of the tender or fuel magazine 1, and essentially comprises a reciprocating crushing head or piston 5 operating below the gravity discharge opening 4 and coiiperating with the breaker bar or head 6, said heads 5 and 6 combining to crush the fuel, and the head 5 also serving as a feeding piston to feed the fuel into the receiving end of the main conveyer trough 2. The said head 5 may also be provided with suitable agitating means such as a finger 7 operating within the opening 4 and serving to compel the fuel to drop through the same. The opposite ends of the crushing and feeding head 5 are exposed for connection with the rear ends of connecting bars 8 which extend forwardly and have operative connections as at 9 with the swinging rocker arms 10 constituting the motion transmitting elements, and which are mounted on a rocker shaft 11 that receives its motion through suitable operating connections 12 with the piston 13 of the operating engine 14:. This operating engine is the prime operating means for the stoking mechanism. The fuel that is received within the rear end portion of the main conveyer trough 2 is advanced forwardly by a main fuel advancing conveyer arranged within the said trough and Fig. 8 is a detail sec trough section 17.

preferably of the reciprocating type, wherein suitably guided reciprocating bars 15 carry feathering conveyer blades 16. The fuel is advanced by the said main conveyer in a substantially divided or separated condition, so that packing or clogging is avoided, and increments or charges of the fuel are delivered into an inclined elevator The inclined elevator trough section 17 con'm'iunicatesat itslower end with the main trough 2, extends upwardly through the deck plate (Z of the locomotive cab, and is provided at its upper end with a substantially horizontally disposed stoking chamber or receiver 18 adapted'to project into the firing opening lit-in the front wall of the tire bfox,'s )as to be. in communication with 'the interior thereof.

The inclined elevating section 17 of the conveyer trough is preferably provided with a series ()f'SlJQPPCfl arresting shoulders 20 at the bottom to check backward'slipping of the fuel. and said trough section is also adapted to acctnn'mod'ate therein a reciprocating elevating conveyer which also preferably consists of reciprocating bars 20 carrying pivotal feathering conveyer blades 21 which are braced to rigidly advance the fuel, but which will loosely trail or trip backward over the same on the back stroke of the eon veyer.

The lower end of the elevating convei 'er, has pivotally united thereto an operating cross head 23, to which head is pivoted, as at 24, a yoke piece 25 that is rigidly united to the front ends of the conveyor bars 15 of the main conveyer. The opposite ends of the cross head 23 have connected thereto the rear ends of connecting rods 2% whose other ends are pivoted at 27) to the motion transmitting elements or rocker arms 10. Accordingly, the said motion transmitting elements or rocker arms 10 provide means for synchronously operating the crushing and feeding device and both conveyers, thus i11- suring a regulated supply of fuel to the conveying mechanism, and the advancing of the fuel in a substantially divided state and in increments to the stoking chamber 18 from whence it is selectively discharged into the fire box by the mechanism and device which will now be, described.

The selectivemeans of the stoker include what may be termed an adjustable delivery mouth for the stoking chamber 18. This adjustabledelivery mouth consists of a pair of duplicate oppositely arranged deflecting wings 27 and a stationary horizontally disposed threshold plate 28 over which the increments of fuel are swept into the fire box.

This threshold plate is supported in posi-,

tion in any suitable manner, but preferably is in the form of a separate attachment having side hanger arms 29 having a support ing engagement at their upper ends, as at llt! sides of the stoking chamber 18 upon the the lower outer edge of the threshold plate having a shoulderengagemnt 28 with the bottom edge of the stoking chamber so that the plate is braced in its stationary position, though being readily removable and renewable as may be required from time to time. The oppositely located side deflecting wings 27 are vertically disposed and have a hingeconnection at one edge, as at 31, with an edge portion of the stoking chamber so as to be capable of swinging horizontally, over the threshold plate 28, on vertical axes. The said side deflecting wings 27 are intended to move in unison, and therefore have a corresponding adjustment according to the direction in which the fuel is to be fed over the threshold plate. To provide for this synchronous adjustment of the defleeting wings 27, the same are connected by a coupling bar 32 which is pivotally connected at its opposite ends, as at 33 with pro jecting arms 34 of the wings, in rear of their pivots 31, and one of the said wings has pivotally connected thereto, as at 35, one end of a link 36 which is pivotally connected at its other end, as at 37, to an operators controlling device 38, which preferably consists of a Suitable lever having a pivotal-support, as at 39, provided with a handle 40, and a latching device 41 cotiperating with a fixed toothed segment 42 performing the usual functions of securing a lever in its adjusted position. The simulta; neously adjustable side deflecting wings 27 and the single operators controlling device or lever 38 form a part of the selective means which are combined with the steam controlling device designated in its entirety by the reference number 43. This steam controlling device embodies in its organization a double valve, one for controlling the steam jets, according to the direction in which the fuel is to be discharged into the fire box, and the'other vproviding for-automatically intercepting the steam supply in order to give it an intermittent or piston effect, thus providing for what has been termed herein, intermittently-acting steam discharging jets for discharging the increments or charges of fuel into the fire box. The housing of the double valve feature of the device 43 is accomplished by the employment of a valve casing 44 provided in one portion thereof wit-h what may be termed, a steam supply chamber 45, and in another portion thereof with what may be termed, a steam outlet chamber 46, the two being connected. by a connecting steam passage 47.

' Referring first to the steam outlet chamber 46, the same'accommodates therein what.

maybe .termed, a variable cut-off valve 48 consisting of a reciprocating plug having the spaced and connected valve heads 49 ton head 63 operating casing 44. The valve .of suitable guides 71 draws upon between which is provided an annular steam passage 50 which is adapted to communicate with either of a pair of steam out-let ports 51 and 52 provided in a wall of the chamber 46, the said ports respectively being in communication with steam conducting pipes 53 and 54, which in turn respectively communicate with the inclined steam jet nozzles 55 and 56 provided at opposite sides of the stoking. chamber 18 immediately in rear of the delivery mouth consisting of the wings 27 and the threshold plate 28. open into the stoking chamber 18 and are convergently related to each other, as plainly seen in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.

The double cut-off valve may be called a variable cut-oft since it has three positions to be. presently referred to, and the adjustment of this valve is accomplished by a valve stem 57 connected with the valve and having an exterior linkconnect-ion 58 with the lower'end of the operators controlling device or lever 38. Accordingly, the selec 'tive mechanism of the present application comprises the connected wings 27, the jets 55, 56, the cut-off valve for selectively controlling said jets, and the element or device 38 for simultaneously effecting a change in position for the wings 27, 27, and a shifting of the valve 48 to correspondingly change the directive movement of the fuel-chargeejecting jets 55, 56.

The valve which provides for giving the steam its intermittent or piston pulsations is designated in its entirety by the reference number 59, and the same includes a valve body formed with a pair of spaced valve heads 60 and 61, an annular steam space 62 between said valve heads, and a piston head 63 spaced from the valve head 61 and of larger area than the same, the said pisin an auxiliary piston chamber 64, one end of which communicates with th main steam space of the supply chamber 45 through a steam by-pass passage 65 formed in a wall of the valve 59 is provided with a stem 66 projecting through one end of the chamber 45 and carrying a bearing head 67 adapted to be engaged by the presser bar 68 of a yoke, which includes the said presser bar and a pair of oppositely arranged connecting links 69 extending from the ends of the bar to the rockerarms or elements 10, to which latter they have pivotal connection, as at 70.

In the operation of the stoking mechanism, it will be. observed'that the valve 59 is entirely automatic in its action. That is to say, during the rocking movement of the motion transmitting the yoke 68-69, which is guided by means the head 67 of the valve stem 66 so as to move the As indicated, the steam jet nozzles 55 elements or arms 10, 1

valve in thedirection for opening communication between the steam'inlet passage '72" (see Fig. 7) of the casing 44, the annular steam space 62 of the said valve 59, and the connecting steam passage 47 hence proriding for admitting a supply of the steam to the steam outlet chamber 46 from whence it is delivered through either or both of the steam conducting pipes 53 and 54, according to the position of the cut-off valve 48. A suitable steam supply pipe 73 connects with the aforesaid steam inlet passage 72. After the steam intercepting valve 59 has been mechanically opened by the means described, the same is automatically moved in the reverse direction by the steam pressure which is admitted behind the piston head 63 through the by-pass 65. Wh n th said intercepting valve is thus moved. in the reverse direction, the valve head 61 passes across and closes the connecting steam passage-47 and thereby cuts off the supply of sttam-to-the steam outlet chamber 46, and consequently as the intercepting valve 59 moves back and forth, it intermittently intercepts thee-team supply so that it is necessarily discharged through either or both of the jet nozzles and 56 intermittently, or with piston-like pulsations.

As above indicated, in. selecting the part of the grate surface to be fed, according to the requirementsof the fire, it will be observed that in straightaway feeding into the central portion'of the fire box, the operators lever 38 is located in a neutral position, shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. In suchposition,

the cut-off valve 48 uncovers both outlet ports51 and 52 (see also Fig. 6) and the side deflecting Wings 27 are both arranged in alinemen-t with the vertical longitudinal plane of the stoking chamber 18, thus compelling both steam jets to sweep the increments of fuel from the-threshold plate into the central part of the firebox.

If it is desired to discharge the fuel into one end portion of the fire box, the lever 38 is swung in onedirection with the result of swinging both deflecting wings 27 at an angle in the direction of the part of the fire box to be fed, and at the sametime the said lever acts to draw the cut-off valve 48 to a position for closing the port 51 (see Fig. 5), and thus blanking the jet nozzle 55, while the other port 52 is still left open to supply steamto the jet nozzle 56 that discharges in a direction substantially parallel to the inclined positions of the wings 27.- This adjustment of parts is shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and to feed into the opposite end portion of the fire box, it is only necessary to swing the lever 38 in the direction opposite to the one shown in Fig. 5, the result of which will be to throw the deflecting wings 27 to an opposite angle, and at the same time to blank or cut off the nozzle 56 and to open up the jet nozzle 55.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of- 'the hereindescribed stoking apparatus will be readily apparent without further description, and it will be readily understood that various changes may be made in the construction without departing y from the spirit or scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A stoking apparatus including a receiver adapted to communicate with the fire box, means for supplying fuel to said receiver, fuel discharging means consisting of a plurality of steam jetting nozzles communicating with said receiver, variable fuel guiding means extending beyond the nozzles, and means for changing the directive movement of said discharging means in corre- 'spondence with the position of said guiding of fuel to said chamber, means for discharging fuel from the chamber, variable guiding means for the discharged fuel charges, controlling means for changing the directive Y movement of said discharging means in correspondence with the position of the guiding means, and a single operators device for j simultaneously adjusting said controlling means and said guiding means to select the part to be fed.

4. A stoking apparatus including a stoking chamber, means for supplying charges of fuel to the chamber, fuel discharging means consisting of a plurality of steam jetting nozzles opening intothe chamber at different angles, variable fuel guiding means extending beyond the nozzles, means for selectively controlling the steam supply to said nozzles, and a device for simultaneously adjusting the said controlling means and the said guiding means to cause the directive movement of the steam jet or jets to correspond to the position of said guiding means.

5. In a stoking apparatus of the class'described, a stoking chamber, means for feeding fuel to the chamber, steam-jetting nozzles opening into opposite sides of the chamher at an angle for discharging the fuel, ad-

operative connection with said controlling means and with said guiding means for simultaneously adjusting the same to select the part to be fed.

6. In a stoking apparatus of the class described, a stoking chamber, means for feeding fuel thereto, steam-jetting nozzles opening into the stoking chamber for discharging the fuel, guiding means for directing the path of the dischargedfuel, a steam controlling device having means for interrupting the steam supply to give it a piston eliect and also having means for opening and blanking either or both of the nozzles, and a device operatively connected with said guiding means and said steam. controlling device to select the part to be fed.

7. In a stoking apparatus of the class described, a stoking chamber, means for supplying fuel thereto, steam jetting nozzles opening into the chamber at opposite sides thereof and convergently related, adjustable guiding means for directing the path of the.

discharged fuel, a steam controlling device, and an operators device operatively connected with the guiding means and the said steam controlling device and adapted to simultaneously control the supply of steam to either or both of the nozzles according to the adjusted position of the guiding means.

8. In a stoking a paratus of the class de-. scribed, a stoking c amber, means for feeding fuel to said chamber, steam jetting nozzles opening into the chamber at opposite sides andconvergent'ly arranged, an adjustable mouth for the stoking chamber having a pair of simultaneously movable laterally swinging deflecting wings adapted. to be swung to substantially the same angle as -that of either of the said nozzles, a steam controlling device for the nozzles, and a device for simultaneously adjusting the steam controlling device and said adjustable mouth.

9. In a stoking apparatus of the class described, a stoking c ing fuel to said chamber, steam jetting nozzles opening into the chamber at opposite sides thereof, a pair of swinging adjustable deflecting wings forming a guiding mouth for the chamber, a steam controlling device comprising means for variablycontrolling the steam to said nozzles and also having means for intercepting the steam supply to amber, means for feed-- give it a piston eflect, and an operators device for simultaneously setting the steam controlling device and the deflecting wings to select the part to be fed.

10. In a stoking apparatus of the class described, astoking chamber, means for feeding fuel thereto, a pair of steam jetting nozzles openin into the stokingchamber, adjustable deflecting wings for the discharged fuel, a steam controlling device havinga cut-off valve for selectively-blanking or opening either or both of the nozzles and also having an automatically acting.-

steam intercepting valve, and an operators lever operatively connected with said'w'ings and with said cut-ofl' valve.

11. In a stokingapparatus of the class described, astoking chamber, means for feeding fuel thereto, a pair of steam jetting nozzles opening into said chamber, adjustable deflecting wings arranged to guide the discharged fuel, a steam controllin device having a cut-off valve adapted to se ectively blank or open either or both of said nozzles and also having a steam intercepting valve interposed in the line of steam supply, said steam intercepting valve being steam actuated in one direction, an operating connection with said deflecting wings and with said cutoff valve, and an engine, operated element having means for mechanically moving said steam intercepting valve in one direction.

12. In a stoking apparatus of the class described, a stoking chamber, fuel conveying means for feeding charges of fuel to said chamber, an engine operated motion transmitting element having an operating connection for said fuel conveying means, steam jetting nozzles opening into the chamber at opposite sides thereof, an adjustable delivery mouth for the stoking chamber, a steam controlling device having a sliding cut-ofi' valve adapted to selectively blank or open either or .-both of said jet nozzles and also having an automatically'acting steam intercepting valve interposed in the line of the steam supply to the said cut-off valve, an operating connection with said delivery mouth and witli said cut-off valve, and a mechanical connection with said motion transmitting element for. operating the steam intercepting valve in one direction.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. 

